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Moving From Fixer to Facilitator: Foundations of Psychologically Informed Approaches for Pain Clinicians

Moving From Fixer to Facilitator: Foundations of Psychologically Informed Approaches for Pain Clinicians

Moving From Fixer to Facilitator: Foundations of Psychologically Informed Approaches for Pain Clinicians

Part of a bundle
This course includes
 
1 Year access after purchase
 
Certificate of completion
This course was recorded in May 2022

Overview 

We’ve been trained to solve problems. To assess, correct, and fix.

But what if building a truly biopsychosocial practice means stepping out of that “fixer” role—and into the role of facilitator?

We now know that education alone rarely leads to behaviour change. And that trying to “correct” thoughts or eliminate distress can backfire—especially when psychological and behavioural challenges are treated as problems to be solved.

When we take a stance of compassionate curiosity instead, we invite collaboration. We support our clients to explore, reflect, experiment, and grow—without needing to have all the answers.

In this course, you’ll learn how to take that stance. Taught by Occupational Therapist and Health Educator Lara Desrosiers, this course offers foundational knowledge and practical strategies to begin integrating key concepts from Polyvagal Theory, Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy into your clinical practice.

Updated in 2025, this version includes the latest evidence, new downloadable tools, and expanded case studies to help you apply these approaches in real-world rehabilitation settings—even when time is limited.

 

Learning Objectives 

You’ll walk away with a clear, actionable framework for becoming a more psychologically informed facilitator, grounded in four core pillars—each connected to key concepts from evidence-based models:

Presence
Learn how to apply Polyvagal Theory to foster safety and attunement in your sessions. You’ll explore concrete strategies to regulate your own nervous system so you can co-regulate with clients—especially when emotions, pain, or uncertainty run high.

Genuine Curiosity
Draw from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Motivational Interviewing to interrupt the fixer reflex and stay curious. You’ll practice using open-ended questions, reflective listening, and gentle Socratic dialogue to help clients make meaning and access their own insights.

Experimentation
Use tools from CBT and MI to support clients in trying new behaviours or perspectives—especially when fear or avoidance has taken the driver’s seat. You’ll learn how to create safe, low-stakes opportunities for learning and build flexible responses to pain or stress.

Self-Determination
Tap into Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to move beyond symptom control and help clients reconnect with what matters most. You’ll explore how to support values-based action, foster psychological flexibility, and co-create plans that feel doable and meaningful.

Whether you’re new to psychologically informed care or looking to build on what you already know, this course will help you integrate these approaches into your practice—without needing to be a psychotherapist.

Your clients don’t need you to fix everything.
They need a steady guide who can walk beside them as they learn, grow, and reclaim what matters.

Audience

This course is developed for ALL manual therapists - physiotherapists, occupational therapists, osteopaths, massage therapists, chiropractors, and others who treat musculoskeletal pain.

 

Course Bundle

This online course is a part of THE Biopsychosocial Bundle - a very special learning opportunity for all healthcare professionals. 
 

This course can only be purchased with the whole bundle (not as an individual course).

Why?

THE Biopsychosocial Bundle is a carefully designed learning experience that includes 6 different courses by 6 experts in their respective fields. These courses have been carefully selected and constructed for clinicians who wish to excel in a biopsychosocial framework.

Learn more about THE Biopsychosocial Bundle by clicking here!

The instructors
Lara Desrosiers
Occupational Therapist

Lara Desrosiers is an Occupational Therapist with a background in mental health and addictions, and a passion for supporting individuals navigating persistent pain and distressing pelvic health challenges.

Drawing on occupational therapy foundations and evidence-based approaches—including Pain Reprocessing Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Polyvagal Theory—Lara helps clients understand their symptoms, regulate distress, and restore meaningful engagement in daily life.

Lara is also a sought-after educator, mentor, and clinical supervisor for clinicians across disciplines who are committed to building psychologically informed, trauma-informed, and person-centered practices.

Whether in the clinic or the classroom, Lara’s work centers on empowering others to move beyond the “fix-it” model and toward more collaborative, compassionate care.


Reframe Rehab
Online Teaching Company

We are a passionate group of highly trained clinicians who champion virtual, live online education courses to develop a biopsychosocial framework for your clinical practice. Our mission is to break down the silos in clinical practice between musculoskeletal pain, pelvic pain, pain neuroscience education, and psychology by providing timely, cost-effective, live online learning opportunities from the world's leading clinical educators on these topics.

Interested in learning more about Reframe Rehab or taking a course with us? Check us out on Instagram @reframerehab or visit our website https://reframerehab.com/ to view all our course offerings.

Material included in this course
  • Welcome and Resources
  • Welcome!
  • 2-Month Free Trial on Embodia + Resource Packages
  • Course Resources
  • References
  • Slides (2 slides Per Page)
  • Articles to Check Out
  • Introduction
  • Welcome!
  • Fixer vs. Facilitator: Key Differences & Challenges
  • The Facilitation Onion
  • Quiz!
  • Feedback
  • Presence: The Science
  • Obstacles to Presence
  • Practical Tips: Overcoming Obstacles to Presence
  • The Science of Presence: Polyvagal Theory & Principle #1 Hierarchy
  • Principle #2: Neuroception
  • Principle #3: Co-regulation
  • Cognition In & Out of Presence
  • Polyvagal Theory: An Update
  • Mission 1 - Track Your Nervous System
  • Quiz!
  • Feedback
  • Presence: The Art
  • Ideas for Climbing Your Ladder
  • Mission 2 - Sooth Your Nervous System
  • Helping Clients to Make Sense of Their Ladders
  • Transparency & Choice
  • Caregiver Wellness: Empathic Strain, Secondary Trauma & Burnout
  • Optional Lesson: Caregiver Wellness Plan
  • Quiz!
  • Feedback
  • Meeting the Nervous System with Curiosity
  • Tracking Our Clients’ Nervous Systems
  • Kolb's Learning Cycle In Practice: A Framework to Invite Presence and Curiosity
  • Being an Effective Co-Regulator
  • Discussion - Polyvagal Theory Nuances & Connections
  • Reflections
  • The Polyvagal Theory E-Book: Summary, Scripts, and Case Studies
  • Optional Lesson: Want to Go Deeper?
  • Quiz!
  • Feedback
  • Meeting Perceptions and Behaviours with Curiosity
  • Curiosity About our Client’s Beliefs: The Lay of the Land
  • Data with Dialogue: Practical tips for using questionnaires collaboratively
  • CBT
  • Tell Me More!
  • My Model of Pain
  • Demo
  • Why Socratic Dialogue Should Become Our Busines Card by Sira Abenoza
  • Socratic Questioning & Balanced Perspectives
  • Working Through Socratic Questioning Together - When Things Don’t Go to Plan!
  • Socratic Dialogue in Pain Care: Case Examples
  • Optional Lesson: Want to go deeper?
  • It's Not About the Nail
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Practical Tips for Integrating Motivational Interviewing Into Pain Care
  • Decisional Balance
  • Demo
  • Quiz!
  • Feedback
  • Behaviour
  • Let’s Experiment!
  • Behavioural Experiment: Case Example - Fred
  • Behavioural Experiment: Case Example - Suzanne
  • Behavioural Experiment: Case Example - Gabby
  • 4 Key Questions
  • Optional: Claim your CBT Superpower!
  • Quiz!
  • Feedback
  • Self Determination: An Intro to ACT
  • Pain and Me by Dr. Tamar Pincus
  • Hallmarks of Inflexibility
  • Defining Psychological Flexibility
  • An Introduction to ACT
  • ACT Essentials for Rehab Pros
  • Values Exploration in Rehabilitation
  • Committed Action
  • Doing What Matters: Case Examples
  • Optional: Dive Deeper into ACT
  • Quiz!
  • Feedback
  • Conclusion
  • Getting Started & Diving Deeper
  • Congrats and what's next!
FAQs

Click on the 'Buy Bundle' button. On the first payment page, there is a spot to put in your coupon code!

Each course purchase is for a single viewer only, and may not be shared. This provides each participant with their own copy of the course bundle to review at their pace and their own certificates of completion.

For clinics/groups of 3 or more clinicians, we offer a Buy 2 get the 3rd bundle free. If you are a clinic with a membership on Embodia, the clinic manager can purchase the bundles on behalf of staff and contact us to receive the coupon code for the free bundle! If you are a clinic that does not have a paid membership on Embodia, you can contact us with the information of the 2 accounts that have purchased the bundle and we will assist you.

If you are a large group/clinic, please contact us at support@embodiaapp.com to arrange a coupon code specifically for your group.

This course has been approved for 6 CPD units by the South Africa Society of Physiotherapists (SASP). If you are a physiotherapist in South Africa and would like the number of approved CPDs to appear on your certificate of completion, please follow the steps outlined in this help article. 

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